2024 Olympics: Australian breakdancer Raygun calls amount of online hate 'pretty devastating'

Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn, who went by the name Raygun during the 2024 Paris Olympics, has received quite a bit of negative attention since she participated in the event in France.

Gunn lost all three of her round-robin tournament battles at the 2024 Summer Games, which happened to be her Olympic debut.

"I really appreciate the positivity, and I'm glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives. That's what I hoped," Gunn said in an Instagram post on Thursday. "I didn't realize that that would also open the door to so much hate which has, frankly, been pretty devastating.

"I went out there and I had fun -- I did take it very seriously. I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics and I gave my all. Truly."

On Thursday, the Australian Olympic Committee stated that the governing body wanted an online petition removed that was looking for an investigation to be conducted into Gunn's participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The petition claimed that Gunn wasn't qualified to compete in the Summer Games.

Chief executive Matt Carroll said the petition "stirred up public hatred without any factual basis." Carroll also revealed that Gunn was "selected through a transparent and independent qualification event and nomination process."

The petition, which was conducted on Change.org, had tallied over 54,000 signatures.

"I'd really like to ask the press to please stop harassing my family, my friends, the Australian breaking community and the broader street dance community," Gunn said. "Everyone has been through a lot as a result of this, so I ask you to please respect their privacy."

Breaking made its debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but isn't scheduled to return at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.